The amount of data transferred between electronic devices has grown tremendously the last several years. Large amounts of audio, streaming video, text, and other types of data content are now regularly transferred among desktop and portable computers, media devices, handheld media devices, displays, storage devices, and other types of electronic devices.
Power may be transferred with this data, or power may be transferred separately. Power and data may be conveyed over cable assemblies. Cable assemblies may include a cable that may have wire conductors, fiber optic cables, or some combination of these or other conductors. Cable assemblies may also include a connector insert at each end of the cable, though other cable assemblies may be connected or tethered to an electronic device in a dedicated manner. The connector inserts of the cable assemblies may be inserted into receptacles in the communicating electronic devices to form power and data pathways between them.
On occasion, a connector insert may be removed from an electronic device while power and signal voltages are being applied through the cable assembly. As the connector insert is removed, contacts and other grounding structures in the connector insert may come into electrical contact with various contacts and structures in the corresponding connector receptacle. These transient electrical connections may form undesirable current pathways that may damage input electrical components associated with the connector receptacle and housed in the electronic device.
Thus, what is needed are connector receptacle tongues having contacts arranged to disconnect from corresponding contacts in a connector insert in such a way that these undesirable current pathways that may damage electrical components connected to the connector receptacle are avoided.